Ish
by Juliettebee
Summary: Who is Ish? A story of the events during the beginning of the outbreak, and how he manages to survive in the world of the infected. Continues on into the sewers, and what occurs afterwards.
1. Introduction

**I'm not really certain if anyone's written about Ish before. I don't think so, but let me know if I'm wrong. Anyway, he seemed like a cool guy, and even has a little sense of humor. I thought he'd be pretty fun to write about. Let me know what you think, and enjoy!**

The first thing I do when I wake up is turn the television on. There's something about living alone that bothers me. Even the sound of Jerry Springer giving the lowdown to some sugar daddies is comforting.

But, today's different. As soon as I turn it on, I'm bombarded by death counts and the images of dying people. I had heard about it before, but it seemed confined to the south, so I never paid it much attention. They're like crazy, trying to eat people. Or, something like that. Bleeding from the mouth, eyes, ears...

Now it's in North Carolina. Just my luck. I think they're setting up some kind of quarantine zone in Raleigh, but that's too far west for me.

I plan out the next month as I shower. My dad's got a trawler, and he has no need for it now. I'll head to the store, get some food and supplies, and take off for the sea. I can do that. Besides, the infected can't swim, right? I heard that they lose all human traits and become animal-like, but... That could just be a rumor.

I drive to the nearest grocery store. The parking lot is crammed full, so I head over to an adjacent lot. As soon as I step out, a gunshot comes from the crowd, and I duck back into the car. I drive a few more miles, to an organic place. Surprisingly, only a few people are there.

The store is chock full of everything I need, and then some. I grab a lot of vitamins, as an afterthought. I don't want to get scurvy, if that still exists.

The cashier is a young, cute gal. She treats me well, but I know she doesn't see anything in me. I'm tall, but too skinny to be noticed. I've got brown hair, which is boring. I'd say my only decent feature are my blue eyes, but I've got this Jewish nose, and that's off-putting. I got it from my mom, and I don't feel like I should be ashamed of myself and my heritage, but, damn. When you're ugly, how can you be proud?

She rings up the total, which almost completely clears out my bank account. I grab the groceries and run. As soon as I'm driving off, I can see a small herd heading to the store. I've got about a half a tank of gas left, so I head straight for the dock, where the boat is.

I learned the exquisite technique of boating from my father. I say that sarcastically, because I don't think it takes much skill to get a boat through the water. That could just be me. Everything's easier nowadays, with electronic maps and decent ropes. It's got an engine, so I don't have to exactly rely on wind patterns and currents to get me where I need to go. He used to be a fisherman, but that never interested me, so the boat sits at a dock.

I don't even know where I want to go. I could head up the coast, maybe to New York. But, that's not a great idea. If the outbreak has gotten this far, it sure as hell is going to be there. Gonna spread like wildfire. I could head to Maine, but it's going to be cold by the time I get there. I'll just wait it out for a couple of weeks, and see what happens.

Apparently everyone and their dog who owns a boat has got the same idea as me. When I go to fill up the gas, the man running the place just asks for a hundred. "Give me what you've got," he says. "Take however much you need." I hand him all of the cash I have, and a gift card to Subway. It probably all equals out to somewhere near a hundred. I hope.

When I take the boat beyond the buoys, I start to feel a little nervous. What have I done? What will my boss say when I don't show up for work for a week straight? Is this a bad decision? I'm worried that maybe I'm overreacting.

This whole outbreak thing... It seems like a big deal. Florida is almost completely wiped out. Right, sure it will be the same everywhere else. I talk myself out of heading back to town.

A few hours later, I get into a comfortable position, so I make myself a little lunch. There's satellite radio on the boat, so I listen to Fox News.

"...if you encounter anyone with signs of the infection, go to the nearest building and stay inside. If possible, call your local police. If you have been infected, you are required to check in at your city's medical station. If your city has been evacuated, go to the nearest quarantine zone. If you are in a quarantine zone, you are not allowed to leave. Martial law is and will be executed in affected areas..."

I switch the channel to 90's pop so I don't freak out. I can live with Madonna. She soothes my troubled soul.

...

(Two weeks later)

I'm on the last of my fresh food. I've still got plenty of water, and some of the docking stations I've passed are still up and running.

The radio is my only connection to what's going on with the world. So far, the infection has spread to Mexico and Canada. The government is trying to control it, but it's looking pretty bleak. There's some talk of a vaccine. I'm skeptical. They can't just pull something like that out of their asses. Isn't that kind of stuff supposed to take a while? Well, what would I know?

(One month later)

I don't even know where I am anymore. The radio stopped working this morning. My phone isn't working. Everything has gone to shit, all at once.

The last thing I heard was that the infection has spread to nearly every major country in the world. Millions have died already. The scientists barely even know what's causing it.

A fucking fungus. Yeah, a fungus. Some mold set the whole world into confusion. How ridiculous.

I think I can last a couple more months before I have to hit shore. My clothes stink, though. If I don't die by the smell, I think I'll head to a quarantine zone. I don't want to, but I feel like that's the only place I'm going to be able to survive.

I've already been through a couple of storms. The boat took it well, but she's starting to show some signs of wear. I don't even know how I could repair it, if the occasion arose.

(Two months later)

I'm going crazy. I've been singing to myself all day, just so I don't die of boredom. I kind of wonder if I'm a bad singer. No, I think I'm a decent enough of a singer. I could be on The Voice or something. Yeah, I would sing a Styx song.

I can imagine myself taking the stage. Here I am, some ugly skinny guy, but when I open my mouth, I'm the new Josh Groban. Minus the curly hair. My hair is getting long, but it's limp and bland, kind of like dried out seaweed. But, the ladies want me for my voice, and the men are jealous because I've got the women. Yeah. Sounds about right.

I've been watching a boat ahead of me. It hasn't moved at all since I spotted it. I haven't seen anyone above board, either. I steer myself up to it. Maybe they need my help.

"Hey!" I shout. "Anyone over there?"

I hear something clatter to the ground. A plate, maybe? "Hello?" I call, dragging out the o.

A person runs up to the deck. I almost say something, but I realize they're infected. Holy shit.

I'm backing up, but the wall is in my way. The person, thing, or whatever, is snarling at me from their boat. It climbs over the railing, and jumps to my boat. I start running away, anywhere, to get away from it. I open the emergency box, and pull out the axe.

When it reaches me, I try toward it off by yelling, but it doesn't seem fazed. It lunges for me, but I kick it in the stomach. It falls back, and I swing the axe, hitting it in the face. It screams, so I hit it again, this time in the forehead. It stops moving, so I figure it's dead.

It's ugly. Like a human, but not. I think it's a man. It's wearing dirty clothes, but its head had some kind of shit growing out. Its skull is cracked open a little, and that stuff is coming out. The smell is awful. I push it overboard, and I watch it float away. I'm not entirely convinced it's dead, so I keep the axe in one hand, just in case.

I head over to his former boat, and scrounge what I can. He had some good stuff, a couple of guns and some ammunition. I think that'll work better than an axe.

(Ten weeks later)

I can't sleep. I just have this feeling, like I'm going to die, or something awful. I decide to write letters, or maybe journal entries. Mostly to amuse myself, but maybe someone will actually be interested in my story. Probably not, but I'd like to dream.

I scribble out a note as I'm waiting for the sun to rise.

"Well... it's looking like I've dodged the chaos and the mayhem long enough. My time out at sea is coming to an end. I'm short on supplies, and this boat has seen better days. And you know what... this was bound to happen sooner or later. I guess it's time to go see what's left of mankind.

What could possibly go wrong, right?

If you happen to find my skeleton, please don't step on my skull. Thanks.

Ish-"

I laugh at that last part. How fitting. I throw it on the floor, realizing how ridiculous it is. I can see the shore now. I think I'm in Delaware, but I can't be certain. I can ride through the rivers, until I find someplace safe. Which might be a while.

I'm kind of wishing I worked out more when I was younger. I'm so scrawny, I'm no match for those infected people. I've got a gun, but that won't be enough. But, no, I chose to be an engineer. I'm regretting that.

As I open a can of peaches, I look to the rising sun. The world has gone on, but humanity hasn't. I wonder what's waiting for me back in the world.

**Well, that was the introduction! Let me know if you liked it! Let me know if you didn't like it! I'm open to all suggestions! Please, if you have the time, leave me a review! Thanks for reading!**


	2. It's the Pitts(burgh)

**It's taken me forever to get this out. To my followers, I'm sorry. Hopefully this will make it better! I know this isn't in the game at all, but I wanted to give a little more to Ish than him going from the sea to the sewers-cos that is just lame. Well, enjoy!**

Contrary to popular belief, life on the road, just, sucks.

Okay, so I'm not on the road. Not really. I've been passing through rivers and whatnot, mostly checking things out. I don't stay in one place very long, not that I would want to stay anywhere.

All I can say is, humanity has completely fallen apart. I saw someone get shot over a jar of pickles, yesterday. A jar of pickles. They weren't even dill pickles. Sweet pickles. Sweet fucking pickles, and, bam, some guy is dead. As for me, I'm pretty good at hiding in the shadows, so most people don't know I'm around.

I've also seen some more of those sick people. We don't have names for them yet-other than infected. I'm trying to remember what it's called. Cortisone, no. Caladryl, no.

Cordyceps, yes. That's it. Apparently, it's some parasite-fungus-spore demon, whatever. If you breathe it in, then you turn into one of them. I'm just wondering how someone could even think of breathing in that stuff. The government's got all these diagrams and pamphlets out. They're scattered all over the streets, like they're really going to do good there.

Now, I know, if someone comes running after me, screaming, looking like they want to eat me, then I run. Okay. Got that. It can be transmitted through bites, which is disgusting. I'm absolutely certain that if one of those people bit me, I'd kill myself. I'm not sure I could live with myself, knowing that someone thought of me as chow.

Chow-chow Ish. Not really my style.

I digress.

A few nights ago, I was sitting on the roof of the boat, just casually staring into the nothingness we call space. I hear screaming, like a woman in pain, so I point my flashlight all over, trying to see something. All of a sudden, this crazy bitch comes after me, so I shoot her in the head. It was a good shot, if I say so myself.

She was bleeding out of her eyes and ears, just like a horror movie. She smelled awful, too, like a cross between wet dog and rotting flesh. Different than the one I had encountered before. I guess there are stages to the infection. I'm pretty sure this woman had been bit less than a week before.

Now, I'm just freaked out about people in general, but, it hasn't been all bad. When I first got to Delaware, I met a couple who were, like me, traveling through water. They were overstocked, and gladly traded me food for batteries. I'm not sure why they wanted batteries, but, hey. Whatever works. I still have got some of their food, and that was three weeks ago.

I'm in Pennsylvania now. I'm not sure where exactly I'm headed. I'm just going with the flow. No pun intended.

Okay, pun definitely intended.

...

I can see it now. The majestic city of Pittsburgh. I've been traveling for the past two weeks. I'm not exactly sure how long things have been shitty here, but there's still a cloud of smog looming above it. I could see it a long ways off. I'm extremely hesitant to stop.

Big cities mean quarantine zone. If there's one thing I do not want to deal with, it's that. I've heard from the people I've met that they're awful. A lot of rules. They trade in freedom for a so-called presumed safety.

But, I have no food, so I have no choice. I haven't eaten in a few days.

I head for the city, and I'm met with guns.

"Hands up!" A uniform yells.

My hands do fly up, and I'm pretty scared. I just don't want to get shot. I've never had a gun shoved in my face. I look down to my crotch, just to make sure I haven't pissed myself, without knowing it. I haven't, and I thank God I have decent bladder control.

The uniforms go through my bag, and take my gun. Bastards. Not that I should have expected less, but...

"You bit?" One of them asks.

"What?"

He jabs me with the barrel of his gun. "Did one of those goddamn things bite you?"

"No, no!" I shout. "I'm fine, I just need something to eat!" I try not to sound like a pathetic loser, but, at this point, it's unavoidable.

They take me to an unmarked building. The sun is starting to set, and the long shadows make me feel as though I'm in the middle of a horror movie. The only problem is, I don't know how it's going to end. Will this be a slasher flick, or will it be more supernatural- with me getting eaten by freakish monsters?

The building, inside, has been set up similar to a prison. On second thought, this is a prison. I did notice the gates on our way in, but I had just assumed they put them up when everything went down.

There aren't any prisoners here, or, at least, the criminal kind. In each cell is one or two people, all looking miserable.

When I get to a cell all of my own, one of my escorts has me strip down to my underwear. Had I known I would be showing off, I would have worn something other than my Scooby-Doo boxers from college.

They inspect me for bites. Upon their approval, I put my clothes back on. They lock the cell behind them.

"Hey, wait!" I call. "Why am I here?"

"Incubation period. We can't take any chances."

I fume about it for an hour or so. Fucking assholes. How can they do this to me?! I'm miserable already. Prison.

Prison?! I never thought in a hundred years I'd be in prison! And for doing nothing at all.

A masked soldier comes by around seven, and hands me my bag. Everything, aside from the gun, is in it, and that makes me feel a tad better. He also slides a bowl of slop to me.

Mystery meat.

Yet, given my state, it looks damn good. I eat it, and gag. It's not meat. It's more like a jelly-lard substance, and it tastes about as good as it sounds. I can't stop myself from eating it, though. On second thought, with a little salt, I guess this wouldn't be half bad.

I write another note before I go to bed, and slip it under the mattress.

...

"I now have the upmost sympathy for dogs. I feel like an animal here. A fucking cage. I do have food, if that's what you could call it, but it still doesn't make the situation anymore bearable.

I came into the city to seek out some help. I haven't seen a quarantine zone before, but, if this is what it is, I want out. This is degrading, and I feel like I deserve better treatment.

I'm hoping to make it through the next few days, providing someone doesn't go all Shawshank on me.

Now, that's an awful thought. Suddenly, this situation feels a lot better.

Hey, if you're reading this, it means I've either died, or I'm free! You should look forward to either.

-Ish"

**If you liked it, let me know! If you didn't, let me know. Honestly, if you think he was being too funny, just let me know. I sort of felt like Ish had sort of a dark humor about his whole situation, and I wanted this story to get darker as it progresses. I'm sure I'll update soon, so be watching out!**


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